Session 3.2: Community-Centered Energy Planning

Effective clean energy transitions require genuine community engagement. This session explores tools, approaches, and experiences in placing communities at the center of energy planning processes. Presenters will discuss the IEA's forthcoming Toolkit for Public Participation in Clean Energy Transitions, designed for Southeast Asian contexts and supporting communities both as decision-makers in consultation processes and as active participants in energy projects.

The session also addresses the largely overlooked exclusion of people with disabilities—who account for one in six people globally, with 80% residing in low- and middle-income countries—from energy transition strategies, and what disability-inclusive design approaches can mean for Asia's clean energy programs; and lessons from a decade of cross-border energy storytelling in Southeast Asia, demonstrating how accessible climate communication can bridge the gap between technical policy processes and meaningful community participation.